Peninsula Woman Claims She Beats Neighbor, 66, to Death With Baseball Bat

A San Mateo woman turned herself in Saturday evening after allegedly beating her neighbor to death with a baseball bat, according to police.

Around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Brenda Martinez, 40, went to the San Mateo Police Department to report a homicide in the first block of North Claremont Street. Martinez “implicated herself” as the sole suspect in her neighbor’s death, according to police.

The victim, a 66-year-old woman, was located inside the residence with “obvious head trauma.”

Police said she was pronounced dead at the scene. A baseball bat, which is thought to have been used as the murder weapon, was also recovered as evidence, according to police.

Martinez was arrested on suspicion of homicide, police said. The victim’s identity was not immediately available.

--Bay City News